The present application is directed to blister packages and, more particularly, to carrier cards for holding peel-open blisters.
Medications are often packaged in blister packages typically include a number of cavities or blisters formed in a sheet of polymer or plastic material. The polymer may be transparent and may include or be coated with materials that provide desired properties such as resistance to moisture or oxygen or other substances that might adversely affect the medications. As is typical with polymers and plastics, the sheet polymer material may be tough and relatively rigid while still being somewhat flexible.
The individual blisters typically may protrude from one surface of the polymer sheet, with the other surface of the sheet being flat or relatively flat, aside from the depressions making up the cavities. After the cavities are loaded with medications, the ‘flat’ surface of the sheet may be closed by a sealing film, such as aluminum foil or a combination of foil and plastic, or other suitable material. While the polymer film and blisters may be transparent, in order to better view the contents, the sealing film may typically by opaque and may contain printed information regarding the medication or its use, or instructions how to remove the blister contents.
Certain types of packages are known in which to contain blister cards. Such packages are often in the form of sleeves (e.g. boxes with an open end). Sleeves or boxes surrounding the blister cards offer protection from wear or from light (which may degrade certain medications), provide advertising or instructional space not otherwise sufficiently available on the blister card itself, and can provide resistance against unintended users opening the blisters (e.g., “child resistance” or “CR”).
When blister cards are packaged within a sleeve they are often attached to a carrier material. The carrier material may provide additional structure to interact with the sleeve and provide the desired child resistance features. For example, the carrier may be sheet material of sufficient thickness and appropriate material to provide sufficient strength and rigidity. Typical carrier materials may include plastic, paperboard, paper, and other materials.
The blister card may be positioned between a first layer of carrier material on one surface (e.g. the surface with the protruding blisters) and a second layer or backing layer of carrier material on the other surface (e.g. the surface with the sealing film). The first layer may have openings therein to receive the protruding blisters. The second layer may have perforations or cutouts proximate to each blister. The first and second layers maybe provided as two pieces of similar or dissimilar material, or they may be provided as one piece of carrier material including a fold line so that when the carrier material is folded along that line and brought together, two layers are formed, and the blister card may be held or “sandwiched” between the first and second layers of carrier material. The layers and the blister card may be attached together, for example by adhesive or heat sealing.
To remove contents from certain types of blister, pressure may be applied to the blister until it collapses and pushes the blister contents through the sealing film. On the other hand, for “peel-open” blisters, the contents are typically removed by first peeling away the sealing film, then removing the contents from the blister. However, for peel-open blisters, it is desirable that the sealing film be accessible, at least in the area where the peeling action is intended to be initiated. Thus a layer of carrier material covering the sealing film is not desired.